Maptheory
⚠️ Unconfirmedtechnology2023

Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 people (2023): a near-universal metric showing how many active SIMs exist relative to population—often >100 in many countries.

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU)•181 countries

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Key Insights

Global Average
113.8subscriptions per 100 people
Median: 115.0subscriptions per 100 people
Countries Covered
181
with available data
Highest
United Arab Emirates
252.0subscriptions per 100 people
Lowest
North Korea
9.0subscriptions per 100 people
Top 5 Countries
1United Arab Emirates252.0subscriptions per 100 people
2Oman220.0subscriptions per 100 people
3Kuwait202.0subscriptions per 100 people
4Malta186.0subscriptions per 100 people
5Bahrain186.0subscriptions per 100 people
By Region
Asia132.1subscriptions per 100 people(25 countries)
Europe123.6subscriptions per 100 people(32 countries)
South America120.0subscriptions per 100 people(7 countries)
Africa113.3subscriptions per 100 people(9 countries)
Other106.4subscriptions per 100 people(102 countries)
Key Findings
  • •Many countries report >100 mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, indicating multi-SIM and/or multi-device behavior is common.
  • •Gulf states and highly competitive mobile markets often show very high subscription densities.
  • •Lower-income or conflict-affected states tend to have much lower subscription densities, reflecting affordability, coverage, and stability constraints.
  • •Because it is subscription-based, the metric can rise even when the number of unique mobile users grows slowly (e.g., due to second SIMs or IoT).

Country Rankings

Top 10 Countries

Bottom 10 Countries

Data Analysis

Value Distribution

How countries are distributed across the value range

Low (9.0subscriptions per 100 people)High (252.0subscriptions per 100 people)

Regional Comparison

Average values by world region (Global avg: 113.8subscriptions per 100 people)

Asia (25)
Europe (32)
South America (7)
Africa (9)
Other (102)
Oceania (2)
North America (4)

Percentile Profile

The curve shows how values change from the lowest to the highest country. Steep sections reveal inequality or outliers.

0th percentile · lowest100th percentile · highest

About This Statistic

This statistic measures the number of active mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions (SIM cards) per 100 inhabitants. Because one person can hold multiple SIMs or devices (e.g., work and personal phones, data-only SIMs), values frequently exceed 100—especially in markets with strong competition, prepaid churn, or widespread machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity.

It is a useful, globally comparable proxy for mobile connectivity and market saturation, but it is not the same as the share of people who own a mobile phone. A country can have very high subscriptions per 100 inhabitants even if some groups remain unconnected, and subscription counts may include inactive prepaid SIMs depending on national reporting practices.

Full Data

Rank ↑Country ↕Value ↕
1United Arab Emirates252.0subscriptions per 100 people
2Oman220.0subscriptions per 100 people
3Kuwait202.0subscriptions per 100 people
4Malta186.0subscriptions per 100 people
5Bahrain186.0subscriptions per 100 people
6Maldives185.0subscriptions per 100 people
7Thailand185.0subscriptions per 100 people
8Costa Rica176.0subscriptions per 100 people
9Qatar173.0subscriptions per 100 people
10South Africa173.0subscriptions per 100 people
11Russian Federation172.0subscriptions per 100 people
12Mauritius167.0subscriptions per 100 people
13Estonia164.0subscriptions per 100 people
14Sri Lanka160.0subscriptions per 100 people
15Uruguay159.0subscriptions per 100 people
16Philippines157.0subscriptions per 100 people
17Panama153.0subscriptions per 100 people
18Luxembourg151.0subscriptions per 100 people
19Republic of The Gambia150.0subscriptions per 100 people
20Japan150.0subscriptions per 100 people
21Libya150.0subscriptions per 100 people
22Vietnam150.0subscriptions per 100 people
23Singapore148.0subscriptions per 100 people
24El Salvador147.0subscriptions per 100 people
25Cote d'Ivoire147.0subscriptions per 100 people
26Colombia146.0subscriptions per 100 people
27Gabon145.0subscriptions per 100 people
28Mongolia145.0subscriptions per 100 people
29Morocco145.0subscriptions per 100 people
30Guinea-Bissau145.0subscriptions per 100 people
31Seychelles145.0subscriptions per 100 people
32Austria145.0subscriptions per 100 people
33Kazakhstan143.0subscriptions per 100 people
34Poland141.0subscriptions per 100 people
35Tunisia140.0subscriptions per 100 people
36Nepal139.0subscriptions per 100 people
37Romania138.0subscriptions per 100 people
38Equatorial Guinea137.0subscriptions per 100 people
39Italy137.0subscriptions per 100 people
40Switzerland137.0subscriptions per 100 people
41Czech Republic135.0subscriptions per 100 people
42Islamic Republic of Iran135.0subscriptions per 100 people
43Kyrgyzstan134.0subscriptions per 100 people
44Fiji132.0subscriptions per 100 people
45Ghana132.0subscriptions per 100 people
46Greece132.0subscriptions per 100 people
47Indonesia132.0subscriptions per 100 people
48Malaysia132.0subscriptions per 100 people
49Nicaragua132.0subscriptions per 100 people
50Solomon Islands132.0subscriptions per 100 people
51Germany131.0subscriptions per 100 people
52Chile130.0subscriptions per 100 people
53Barbados130.0subscriptions per 100 people
54South Korea129.0subscriptions per 100 people
55Belarus127.0subscriptions per 100 people
56Portugal127.0subscriptions per 100 people
57Cambodia126.0subscriptions per 100 people
58Cape Verde126.0subscriptions per 100 people
59Namibia126.0subscriptions per 100 people
60Saudi Arabia126.0subscriptions per 100 people
61Tajikistan126.0subscriptions per 100 people
62Cyprus125.0subscriptions per 100 people
63Hungary125.0subscriptions per 100 people
64Latvia125.0subscriptions per 100 people
65Slovakia125.0subscriptions per 100 people
66Suriname125.0subscriptions per 100 people
67Sweden125.0subscriptions per 100 people
68Cayman Islands124.0subscriptions per 100 people
69Falkland Islands (Malvinas)124.0subscriptions per 100 people
70Georgia124.0subscriptions per 100 people
71Serbia124.0subscriptions per 100 people
72Ukraine124.0subscriptions per 100 people
73Moldova, Republic of123.0subscriptions per 100 people
74People's Republic of China122.0subscriptions per 100 people
75Israel121.0subscriptions per 100 people
76Slovenia121.0subscriptions per 100 people
77Bosnia and Herzegovina121.0subscriptions per 100 people
78Myanmar120.0subscriptions per 100 people
79Peru120.0subscriptions per 100 people
80Spain120.0subscriptions per 100 people
81Andorra120.0subscriptions per 100 people
82Bulgaria119.0subscriptions per 100 people
83United Kingdom119.0subscriptions per 100 people
84Guatemala118.0subscriptions per 100 people
85Kenya118.0subscriptions per 100 people
86Paraguay118.0subscriptions per 100 people
87Timor-Leste117.0subscriptions per 100 people
88Sierra Leone117.0subscriptions per 100 people
89Algeria116.0subscriptions per 100 people
90Mali115.0subscriptions per 100 people
91Türkiye115.0subscriptions per 100 people
92Finland114.0subscriptions per 100 people
93Armenia114.0subscriptions per 100 people
94Netherlands112.0subscriptions per 100 people
95Trinidad and Tobago112.0subscriptions per 100 people
96United States of America112.0subscriptions per 100 people
97Senegal111.0subscriptions per 100 people
98Australia111.0subscriptions per 100 people
99Croatia110.0subscriptions per 100 people
100Mauritania110.0subscriptions per 100 people
101Botswana110.0subscriptions per 100 people
102Belgium109.0subscriptions per 100 people
103Guinea108.0subscriptions per 100 people
104Iceland106.0subscriptions per 100 people
105Brunei Darussalam106.0subscriptions per 100 people
106Denmark105.0subscriptions per 100 people
107Dominica105.0subscriptions per 100 people
108France105.0subscriptions per 100 people
109Faroe Islands104.0subscriptions per 100 people
110Ireland104.0subscriptions per 100 people
111Jamaica104.0subscriptions per 100 people
112Lithuania104.0subscriptions per 100 people
113Montenegro104.0subscriptions per 100 people
114Nigeria104.0subscriptions per 100 people
115The Republic of North Macedonia104.0subscriptions per 100 people
116Iraq103.0subscriptions per 100 people
117Liberia103.0subscriptions per 100 people
118Eswatini103.0subscriptions per 100 people
119Bangladesh103.0subscriptions per 100 people
120Guyana102.0subscriptions per 100 people
121Bolivia102.0subscriptions per 100 people
122Bahamas100.0subscriptions per 100 people
123New Zealand99.0subscriptions per 100 people
124Afghanistan99.0subscriptions per 100 people
125Brazil99.0subscriptions per 100 people
126Belize99.0subscriptions per 100 people
127Zimbabwe98.0subscriptions per 100 people
128Norway97.0subscriptions per 100 people
129Zambia97.0subscriptions per 100 people
130State of Palestine96.0subscriptions per 100 people
131Albania94.0subscriptions per 100 people
132Antigua and Barbuda94.0subscriptions per 100 people
133Ecuador93.0subscriptions per 100 people
134Argentina93.0subscriptions per 100 people
135Egypt92.0subscriptions per 100 people
136United Republic of Tanzania92.0subscriptions per 100 people
137Canada91.0subscriptions per 100 people
138Lesotho91.0subscriptions per 100 people
139Mexico91.0subscriptions per 100 people
140Burundi90.0subscriptions per 100 people
141Greenland90.0subscriptions per 100 people
142Jordan90.0subscriptions per 100 people
143Uzbekistan90.0subscriptions per 100 people
144Central African Republic88.0subscriptions per 100 people
145Republic of the Congo88.0subscriptions per 100 people
146Benin88.0subscriptions per 100 people
147Rwanda88.0subscriptions per 100 people
148Dominican Republic86.0subscriptions per 100 people
149Vanuatu86.0subscriptions per 100 people
150Togo86.0subscriptions per 100 people
151India84.0subscriptions per 100 people
152Cameroon83.0subscriptions per 100 people
153Ethiopia83.0subscriptions per 100 people
154Bhutan79.0subscriptions per 100 people
155New Caledonia78.0subscriptions per 100 people
156Sudan78.0subscriptions per 100 people
157Lebanon75.0subscriptions per 100 people
158Pakistan75.0subscriptions per 100 people
159Uganda75.0subscriptions per 100 people
160Honduras74.0subscriptions per 100 people
161Malawi73.0subscriptions per 100 people
162Comoros70.0subscriptions per 100 people
163Syrian Arab Republic67.0subscriptions per 100 people
164Samoa66.0subscriptions per 100 people
165Cuba65.0subscriptions per 100 people
166Lao People's Democratic Republic63.0subscriptions per 100 people
167Eritrea62.0subscriptions per 100 people
168Venezuela62.0subscriptions per 100 people
169Haiti60.0subscriptions per 100 people
170Chad57.0subscriptions per 100 people
171Niger57.0subscriptions per 100 people
172Yemen57.0subscriptions per 100 people
173Angola57.0subscriptions per 100 people
174Somalia56.0subscriptions per 100 people
175Mozambique55.0subscriptions per 100 people
176Madagascar52.0subscriptions per 100 people
177Djibouti50.0subscriptions per 100 people
178Democratic Republic of the Congo48.0subscriptions per 100 people
179Papua New Guinea48.0subscriptions per 100 people
180South Sudan30.0subscriptions per 100 people
181North Korea9.0subscriptions per 100 people
Showing 181 of 181 countries

Topics

#statistic-of-the-day#ai-generated#mobile#telecommunications#connectivity#SIM#subscriptions#ICT#ITU#digital access

Data Source

This data comes from International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (2023).

View Original Source